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New Year's Eve, Iowa Style: 5 Ways to Celebrate

Ready or not, here comes 2017. However you are hoping to ring it in, you want it to be memorable, and we have a few fun suggestions for places to check out here in Iowa, courtesy of the local Iowa City Press-Citizen. Whether you are looking for a raucous, adult-centered scene or a more family-friendly soirée, Iowa has your entertainment covered.

Want to ring in the new year with an old-fashioned wild party? Head to Cedar Rapids at 9:00 pm for the pub’s New Year’s Eve Masquerade Ball. Wear your fiercest attire, and feel free to add a mask if you wish. Party with DJ RUSSEX until 2:00 am of a brand-new 2017.

Celebrate in style at the casino with Chicago’s Libido Funk Circus, featuring dance favorites from the ‘60s until now. Arrive at 9:00 pm and party the night away with your fellow revelers. In between songs, go to Robert’s Buffet for some extra fuel to keep you going. You don’t want anybody to out-party you!

Are your tots too young to party until midnight? Let them celebrate Noon Year’s Eve in Coralville! From 10:00 am to 12:00 pm, the museum staff will be helping kids make their own party accessories, such as fun hats and noisemakers. At noon, the children can count down to mid-day and watch balloons drop. Let the little tykes experience the fun of a real New Year’s Eve party and still get to bed on time, giving you a chance to go out and do your own adult thing for the actual midnight revelry.

While you are already in Coralville, go to the library’s Take and Make. At noon, just in time for the ending of the museum’s festivities, you can head to this free event for some family fun. Make a crown worthy of New Year’s Eve royalty, then wander through the aisles and see the book selections.

If your young bookworm wants more reading stops, be at this beloved bookstore at 11:00 am for Hap-Pea All Year Storytime. Learn about the months of the year (with the ever-popular LMNO Peas) in preparation for a whole new set of them! Enjoy the fun book and some bonus activities. Stick around afterward to browse the shelves and kindle the fire for some heavy reading during the new year.